Roger Daltrey has discussed the origins ofJimi Hendrix’s rock theatrics, claiming that he stole the act fromWhoguitarist Pete Townshend, but that they both owe a lot to blues legendBuddy Guy.
In a new interview withThe Coda Collection, Daltrey said: “you watch Buddy Guy in the early days and you suddenly realise – when you really look for the inventor of all that stuff, it was probably Buddy Guy. In fact, I would give it to Buddy Guy.”
“I’ve always stuck up for Pete [Townshend],” he continued, “saying, Jimi stole Pete’s stage act completely, which, incidentally, I think he did. But I’m sure Jimi had seen Buddy Guy previously, as I’m sure Pete had seen some clips of Buddy Guy and embellished it.”
“I take my hat off to Buddy Guy, he deserves the accolade. I just love him,” Daltrey added.
Elsewhere in the interview, Daltrey reacted to Paul McCartney calling The Rolling Stones a “blues cover band.” He didn’t entirely disagree, stating: “You can not take away the fact that Mick Jagger is still the number one rock ‘n’ roll showman upfront. But as a band, if you were outside a pub and you heard that music coming out of a pub some night, you’d think, ‘Well, that’s a mediocre pub band!’”
“No disrespect,” he added quickly.
You can see more about Daltrey’sCoda Collectioninterviewhere.